Dispensing container for dust



April 1952 D. M. ALTIERE ET AL 2,591,653

DISPENSING CONTAINER FOR DUST Filed April 1, 1948 INVENTOR fifl/V/EL M A LT/ER a 'RusaELL flJBufiTon/ ATTOR YS Patented Apr. 1, 1952 DISPENSING CONTAINER FOR DUST Daniel M. Altiere, South Bound Brook, N. J and Russell A. Burton, South Euclid, Ohio, assignors to The Sherwin-Williams 00., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 1, 1948, Serial No. 18,316

18 Claims. 1

This invention relates to dispensing containers for dusts, and, more particularly, elongated tubular containers for packaging and dispensing insecticidal, fungicidal and like agricultural dusts for use on plants (hereinafter referred to simply as dusts).

It has been common practice for many years to package dusts in tubular containers provided at the forward or discharge end with a closure having a suitable orifice or orifices through which the dust, dispersed in air, is discharged. At the rearward or pressure end, the tubular container is provided with a closure having an opening which permits air for discharging and dispersing the dust to be drawn into and forced through the tubular container; said opening may be either covered with a loosely-woven fabric filter or provided with a suitable check valve to permit the passage of air into the container while preventing the escape of dust through the opening. At the pressure end, such a container is provided with a closely-fitting, telescoping sleeve which is closed at its rearward end except for a ported closure carrying a flap type of check valve. This check valve permits air to be drawn into a pressure chamber, created when the sleeve is withdrawn, but prevents any substantial escape of air therethrough when the withdrawn sleeve is telescoped again upon the tubular container. Thus, by reciprocating the sleeve on the container, air is pumped through the container to discharge a dispersion of dust in air through the discharge orifice or orifices.

One difiiculty with many of the prior art dispensing containers of the general type described above is that they cannot be fully filled with dust, and they must be held, when operated, in a substantially horizontal position so that the body of dust contained therein does not cover the discharge orifices; otherwise the dust tends to pack in the container, either over the discharge orifices or over the air inlet valve, thereby unduly impeding the relatively free and uniform fiow of air through the gun which is essential for satisfactory operation. The very geometry of the level assumed by the dust in these tubular containers during use limited their maximum length to three or possibly four times their diameter. This, in turn, limited the amount of dust which could be packaged in such containers to about a pound or so of dust; otherwise the diameter of the containers became so large that the packages were cumbersome and unwieldy.

Consequently, the user was not able to buy the more economical larger amounts of dust in such dispensing containers.

Another disadvantage of the prior art containers of the type described was that the user had to stoop or squat to spray dust on small plants or lower leaves because of the limitations on the length of the containers. Attempts to overcome this objection by packing only small amounts of dust in longer containers were uneconomical and only partially successful. Extended discharge orifices have been employed to obtain a greater overall length, but these have either been cumbersome and too easily damaged or have been unsatisfactory in operation, or both. In neithercase was it possible to achieve continuous satisfactory operation while holding the containers in any but a generally horizontal position.

To minimize the tendency of the dusts to pack in the described prior art containers and to improve dispersion, it has been proposed to include in the container a tube extending from a point near the opening in the pressure end to a point adjacent the discharge orifices. Such a tube might or might not be provided with vents which would, theoretically, either permit dust to be entrained into the tube or permit air to pass into the mass of dust to prevent it from packing. In most instances such an expedient did increase the dispersion of the dust, but when the length of the container exceeded its diameter by much more than three times or the container was held at an angle which allowed the dust to cover the discharge orifices to an appreciable depth, the dust would still pack, due, presumably, to the depth of dust over the discharge orifice and/ or the effect of the air pressure in the container.

The patent of Alexander 0. Keyl, Number 2,522,621, dated September 19, 1950, discloses a dispensing container having a length many times greater than its diameter. That patent further discloses an insert disposed within the dust chamber of the container along one side thereof, the insert being constructed to provide a number of closely spaced conduits of small diameter extending from a point adjacent the air inlet end to a point adjacent the discharge end of the dust chamber. By means of such an insert, dispensing containers of a length up to fourteen times their diameter were first made practically operative. However, the operation of such containers, while superior to the operation of containerswhich were previously known, did not overcome all of the difiiculties. It was found that the dispersion and discharge of dust from the container disclosed in the above-mentioned patent was not always uniform under varying conditions of use.

ly under all normal conditions of operation to eifect the discharge of a well dispersed dust spray.

Another and more specific object of this invention is to provide a dust dispensing container in.

which packing of the dust at either end of the container will not prevent the discharge of a uniformly fine dispersion of dust and will not materially alter the normal discharge characteristics of the device.

A particular advantage of containers made in accordance with this invention is that a consistent rate of discharge of a finely and uniformly dispersed dust is obtained regardless of the position in which the device may be held. As a result of its substantial length and relatively small di-' ameter,; and its consistent performance at all angles, such a device may be efficiently used to dust foliage high overhead on trees, trellises, and the like or small plants and foliage close to the ground with a minimum of climbing, stretching, and stooping or squatting.

Other and further objects and advantages of our invention will be apparent from the following description of a specific preferred embodiment, the claims, and the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation, partly in cross-section, of a container made according to our invention and showing it at an angle near the vertical at which it may be held and operated;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1 and showing dust packaged in the container;

Fig. 3 is a detailed fragmentary longitudinal section taken at the discharge end of the tubular container; and

Fig. 4 is a detailed fragmentary longitudinal section taken at the pressure end of the tubular container. I

The container comprises an elongated tube 10, preferably made of spirally wound cardboard tubing, orsimilar light weight material having the required strength and rigidity. The discharge end of the tube is provided with a suitable closure structure in which is contained a mixing or dispersion chamber for insuring thorough dispersion in air of the dust discharged from the container. This closure structure includes a metal rim member [I which is crimped to the end of the tube 10 and which extends inwardly a short distance and then axially of the tube ID to form a cylindrical flange Ila spaced inwardly from the wall of the tube 10.

A closure member 12 is removably and frictionally held in place within the internal flange Ila of; therim member H, as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. The closure member 12 comprises a disk-shaped cover plate 13 secured in any conventional manner, as by crimping, soldering or the like, to a cup-shaped base member [4, the latter being provided with a plurality of ports 15 in the generally'cylindrical side-wall thereofand near the base thereof. The shape of the rim member ii and the closure member I! is such that an annular space 28 is provided between the wall of the tube i6 and the generally cylindrical wall of the closure member l2. Communication between the main dust chamber, formed inside of the tube 10, and the dispersion chamber within the closure member 12 is thus achieved through the annular space 28 and ports 15. The axial length of the dispersion chamber is preferably substantially less than its diameter, whereby the volume of the dispersion chamber is kept small and substantial turbulence is created throughout the interior thereof by air entering radially through the ports l5.

The cover-member I3 is provided with an orifice 1511 at or near the center thereof through whichthe dispersed dust and air are discharged, as shown in Figure 1. The location of the orifice We may be merely indicated by a depression formed in the cover member [3 and may be cut or punched by the user after purchase and just prior to first use. Generally, however, we prefer to punch the orifice H50. in the cover l3 prior to filling and closing the tube Iii in order that its size and shape may be better controlled. The shape of the punched-out portion is preferably such that the dust spray will be directed generally at a substantialangle to the axis of the tube, as illustrated in Fig. 1. When preformed, the orifice its may be sealed for shipping and storage, after filling with dust, by means of adhesive paper or a similar removable seal (not shown). The tube iii is normally filled'through the open discharge end of the tube prior to inserting the closure member 52. However, it will be seen thatthe closure member [2 extends a slight distance above the rim member ii and is shaped to provide an overhanging flange iSa to facilitate-removal thereof with a suitable prying tool if it.

should be desired to fill or refill the tube with a fresh charge of dust after shipment and storage in an empty condition or after an initial charge has been exhausted.

The pressure end of the tube It} isclosed by a crimped on metalclosure' 15 having a plurality of openings 11 therethrough, the openings i! being arranged in a circular array about the center of the closure. The openings i1 are normally closed by a flexible diaphragm iii of paper composition, rubber, or like flexible material riveted at the center to the closure 16.- A rigid washer itia holds the central portionof the diaphragm against the closure member 16. When air is-being forced into the tube ID, the annular portion of the diaphragm i8- around the washer. 18a will bend to the dotted line position, shown in Fig. 4, thus uncovering the openings 11. This type ofrcheck valve directs the incoming air radially outwardly toward the wall of the tube l0.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the tube i0 is provided with the telesoopingsleeve 29 adjacent the pressure end thereof. If desired, the outer diameter of the tube iii may be reduced to accommodate the sleeve 26. The end of the sleeve 29 is provided with a crimped on metal closure 2i having a port 22 normally covered by a flap valve 23, which will open and admit air when the sleeve 23 is Withdrawn from its fully telescoped position.

It is-to be understood thatthe flap valve 23 is merely-illustrative of any type of flap or. check valves which may be used at this point to. permit one-way movement of air through the metal closure 2|.

- Within the tube if) there isprovided a special 7 type of liner element 25, whicnis-animprovement over that disclosed in the aforementioned Keyl application and which is so designed as to bring about an entirely new cooperative relationship between the liner element 25, the air admitting structure at the pressure end of the container, and the closure structure at the discharge end of the container. The liner element 25 extends from a pointadjacent the metal closure [6 to a point adjacent the closure member 12 and defines a multiplicity of long, relatively small air conduits 26. The conduits 26 are arranged 1ongitudinally of the tube Ill and are spaced more or less uniformly and in a single layer completely around the inner surface thereof. As shown in the drawings, the liner 25 and air conduits 26 may be comprised of a single layer of ordinary, laminated, corrugated paper board stock in which the corrugations extend lengthwise of the tube. A single layer of the corrugated. board is formed as a cylinder and is inserted into the tube into form the liner 25. As shown in the drawing, the ends of the liner 25 are provided with extensions 2'! of the outermost ply, which is a non-corrugated ply in this instance, so as to space the ends of the air conduits 26 from the closures l2 and H5 at the ends of the tube Ill. The conduits 26 may vary in size and number While retaining all the advantages of the present dispenser. For example, the number of conduits may vary from about to about 50 and the cross-sectional area of each conduit may be from about .125 square inch to about .01 square inch. The diameter of the tube in may, of course, be varied within limits but the total cross-sectional area of all the conduits 26 should occupy from about 1% to about 20% of the crosssectional area of the tube l8. It has been found that about 20 conduits, each having a cross-sectional area of about .02 square inch and a tube having a cross-sectional area of about 4 square inches will produce excellent results with most dusts. In such a dust dispenser the cross-sectional area of the conduits 28 occupies about 10% of the cross-sectional area of the tube Ill.

The package is sold with its elements in the normally inoperative, fully telescoped position. To operate the dispensing container, the tube IE3 is grasped in one hand and the sleeve 26 is drawn back, creating a pressure chamber 24 into which air is drawn through the port 22 and opened check valve 23. The sleeve 20 is then telescoped on the tube l0, closing the check valve 23 and forcing air through the openings I! and eventually discharging dust dispersed in air through the orifice |5a toward the plant or leaves at which the discharge end of the container is aimed. The container is operated in this manner until the packaged dust is exhausted, when the container may be refilled or discarded.

According to our analysis of the operation of the container which has been described, the air which is forced through the openings ll at the pressure end of the tube Ill is directed by the diaphragm l8 toward the conduits 25, thus requiring the entering air to force its way through a mass of dust for only a short distance, under the worst of conditions, before entering the conduits 26. While some dust will sift or be carried by the turbulent air into the conduits 26, the dust will never pack therein sufficiently tightly to materially impede the passage of air therethrough. Air passing from the openings 17 into the conduits 26 moves along the conduits and is discharged therefrom directly into the annular space 28 between the tube wall l0 and the generally cylindrical wall of the closure member l2. At this point, considerable turbulence is created as the air is forced from the annular space 28 through the restricted path provided by the ports l5.

From the foregoing it will be observed that, when the main dust chamber is substantially full and is tilted upwardly, the air entering the conduits 26 will be forced through a mass of dust and will entrain a substantial amount of it, carrying it through the conduits, into the annular space 28, and finally through the ports I5 and into the dispersion chamber in the closure member 12. When the device is tilted downwardly, the air can pass relatively freely into and through the conduits 26, picking up little or no dust until discharged into the annular space 28, where a heavy concentration of dust is encountered and a substantial amount of it is carried into the dispersion chamber in the closure member [2. When the device is held more or less horizontally, the conduits 26 become less important as the quantity of dust left in the main dust chamber in the tube l0 decreases, but, in any event, the restricted ports l5 into the dispersion chamber cause turbulence just outside the ports I5 and insure entrainment of dust with the air passing into the dispersion chamber. It will be drical surface of the tube It], the operation of the device is unaffected by rotation about its longitudinal axis.

Since the air and dust passing through the ports l5 enter the dispersion chamber in a radial direction, substantial turbulence will always be created in the chamber, whereby the dust carried by the air into the chamber will be thoroughly and uniformly dispersed. While in this dispersed condition, the dust will be discharged from the orifice l5a onto the plants and other vegetation to be treated.

Thus, the relation between the special valve construction in the closure 16, the conduits 26, and the closure member H at the discharge end of the container permits the operation of the dispensing containers-at substantially any angle, including the vertical, even when the containers have a length greatly in excess of three or four times their diameter and are substantially filled with dust. The length of the tube [0, relative to its diameter, appears to be limited only to the length and weight of contents which can be conveniently handled by the user. As explained above, tubes three feet long and having a ratio of length to diameter of 14 to 1 are in use and are highly successful.

The advantages of long dispensing containers of the type disclosed should be readily apparent. With a tube three feet long, the user can dust both overhead foliage and low plants or leaves with a minimum of stretching, climbing, stooping and squatting and can use the discharge end of the tube to turn up low leaves and dust the undersides thereof while operating the container. Heretofore such convenience could be accomplished only with expensive mechanical dusting equipment which required the inconvenient loading of bulk quantities of dust. It is also possible to package as much dust in one of my dispensing containers as could be packaged in several of the shortprior art dispensingcontainers, thereby IE, ducing. the packaging cost :per pound of: dust packaged andallowing the .userv to "buy the more economicallarge quantities of dustin adispensing container. Also, since the closure member I2- is readily removed, the containers caneasily be refilled.

While we have explainedourtheories as to howour new constructionoperates to produce the improved-results which have been'described, we do not wish to bebound byany such theories of operation. Regardless of whether col-container operates for any -one-or. all of the reasons given. or for other reasons, itis to be understood that. the invention is notlimited to the specific em,- bodiment or to the particular. mode of operation disclosed: Rather, thoseskilledin the'arttwill findthatour invention may lie-variously modified within-the scopeoi the following claims.

Whatisclaimed is:

l. A dust dispenser comprising a tubular element defining a dust reservoir, a first closure at one end of said tubular element including means for admitting airunder pressure; a sec ond closure at the oppositeendof-said tubular element including means for discharging a dispersion of dust and air, said second closure com-- prising a generally cylindrical element closed atitsends and defining a dispersion chamber concentrically disposed in' the discharge end of said tubular element, said cylindrical element having an outer diameter smaller than the inside diameter of said tubular element to provide an annular-spacebetweenthe walls-thereof, a

plurality of ports in said'cylindrical element for .z'

communication between said annular space and said dispersion chamberand a discharge opening through the outer end wall of said cylindrical element, means defininga plurality of air conduits extending longitudinally of and spaced substantially uniformly about the inner surface of said tubular element, said conduitsterminating at one openend adjacent said first closure and at their opposite open end adjacent said annular space, whereby air admitted through said first closure may pass'into'and through said conduits and into said annular space for entraining dust, thence with the entrained dust through said ports into .said'dispersion chamber and through said'discharge opening in the form of a dust spray, and means for forcing air through said air admitting means.

2. A dust dispenser. as claimed in claiml wherein said first closure includes means for directing admit-ted air toward and into the adjacent open ends of said conduits.

3. A dust dispenser as claimed in claim. 1,

wherein said first closure includes an apertured end wall and a disk for normally coveringand closing the apertures therein, said disk being axially mounted on the inner side ofsaid. aperturedend wall for limited axial movement to oncover said apertures when air is forcedtherethrough and to. direct said air radially toward and into the adjacent ends of said conduits.

4.-A dust dispenser as claimed in claim 1,. wherein said firstclosure includes an apertured end wall having apertures disposed in a circular array about the center thereof and a coaxially disposed disk for normally covering and closing theapertures therein, said disk being secured to 7 said apertured end wall for limited axialmovement to uncover said apertures when air is forced therethrough and to directsaid air radially toward-and intov the adjacent endsof said conduits...

5. A, dust dispenser as claimed in claim .1

wherein said first closure includes an apertured.

endwall and a flexible diaphragm normally coveringand, closing the apertures therein, said flexible diaphragm being secured adjacent-its center to the'inner-side of said end wall with.

securing; means permitting limited flexing of the diaphragm to uncover said apertures when air is forced therethrough and todirect said air radiallytoward and into the adjacentends of said conduits.

6. A dust dispenser as, claimed in claim 1, wherein a ringhaving an internal annular flange is crimped over the discharge end of said tubular element and the generally cylindrical element: defining the dispersion chamber is removably mounted withinsaid annular flange in frictional engagement therewith;

7. Adust dispenser as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said second closure includes a ring 8. A dust dispenser as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said plurality of air conduits'are defined by a cylindrical layer of corrugated paper board with the corrugations extending longitudinally thereof.

9. A dust dispenser as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said plurality of air conduits areformed by a cylindrical layer of laminated corrugated paper board with the corrugations extending longitudinally thereof, an outer ply of said corrugated paper board extending, longitudinally beyond the ends. of said conduits forspacing the ends of the conduits from said first and second closures.

10. A dust dispenser. as claimed in'claim 1,

wherein said conduits are. generally aligned with.

said annular space.

11. A dust dispenser as claimed in claim 1;.

wherein said ports are uniformly spaced circume ierentially about the cylindrical wall ofsaid dis: persicn chamber and at least one of said cone duits is substantially aligned with each of said ports;

12. A dust-dispenser as claimedinclaim 1,

"- wherein the combined cross-sectional area of. said air conduits is not substantially greater than 20 per cent of the cross-sectional area. of;sald:

tubular element.

13. A dust dispenser as claimed in claim 1- wherein said plurality of ports are spaced substantially uniformly about the circumference of" said cylindrical element.

spaced in a circular array adjacent the tubular wall thereof; pressure responsive means for ad-.

mitting air into a pressure end of said container and for directing the admitted air toward the adjacentends of said air conduits, a generally cylindrical dispersion chamber disposed concentrically within the opposite end of said con.-

tainer,.said dispersion chamber having. an outer.

diameter smaller than the inner diameter of said container to provide an annular space therebetween and having at least four ports for communication between said annular space and said dispersion chamber, said dispersion chamber having a discharge orifice in its outer end Wall, and a sleeve member having a check valve therein, said sleeve member being telescopingly mounted over the pressure end of said container for pumping air through said air admitted means,

whereby air pumped into the container will be directed into and through said air conduits and into said annular space for passage through said ports into said dispersion chamber and finally through said discharge orifice, and whereby dust entrained with said air as it travels through said container will be thoroughly dispersed therein and discharged therewith.

15. In a tubular dust dispensing container including means for introducing air under pressure into one end of said container, a ring telescopingly secured to the opposite end of said container, said ring being provided with an internal annular flange defining an axially aligned opening into the container, a tubular dust dispersion chamber having opposite end walls, said dust dispersion chamber being fitted into said opening and frictionally engaged by said annular flange, said chamber extending through said opening into said container for defining an annular space between it and the wall of the container, a plurality of circumferentially spaced ports leading from said annular space into said dispersion chamber through the tubular wall thereof, and a discharge orifice through the outer end wall of said dispersion chamber.

16. The device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the outer end of said dispersion chamber is flanged radially outwardly beyond the internal annular flange of said ring and is spaced from said ring to permit a prying tool to be inserted therebetween for removing said dispersion chamber.

17. The device as claimed in claim 15, wherein said parts are substantially uniformly spaced around the circumference of said dispersion chamber adjacent the inner end wall thereof.

18. A dust dispenser comprising a tubular element defining a dust reservoir, a first closure including means for admitting air under pressure, a second closure at the opposite end of said tubular element including means for discharging a dispersion of dust and air, said second closure comprising a generally cylindrical element closed at its ends and defining a dispersion chamber cencentrically disposed in the discharge end of said tubular element, said cylindrical element having an outer diameter smaller than the inside diameter of said tubular element to provide an annular space between the walls thereof, a plurality of ports in said cylindrical element for communication between said annular space and said dispersion chamber and a discharge opening through the outer end wall of said cylindrical element, air passage means extending longitudinally of and substantially uniformly about the inner surface of said tubular element, said means terminating at one end adjacent said first closure and. at the opposite end adjacent said annular space, whereby air admitted through said first closure may pass into and through said air passage means, said annular space and thence through said ports into said dispersion chamber for dispersion with dust therein and finally through said discharge opening in the form of a dust spray, and means for forcing air through said air admitting means.

DANIEL M. ALTIERE. RUSSELL A. BURTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

